Crime & Safety

Man Suspected of Indio Homicide Arrested in IB

Joseph Robert Gentile, 59, was taken into custody for allegedly killing Guillermo "William" Saavedra.

A man was arrested in Imperial Beach early today in connection with the suspicious death of a 72-year-old watchman at an abandoned restaurant in the Coachella Valley.

Indio police detectives served a search warrant at a home in Imperial Beach at about 3:45 a.m. and took Joseph Robert Gentile, 59, into custody for allegedly killing Guillermo "William" Saavedra, whose body was found Monday at a vacant restaurant on Town Street in Indio, 90 miles northeast of San Diego.

Saavedra was a caretaker at the now-defunct business. Saavedra's body showed no obvious signs of trauma but Riverside County Coroner's authorities ruled his death a homicide, Indio police Sgt. Dan Marshall said.

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A four-day investigation lead Indio detectives to the Imperial Beach home Friday night. Gentile had prior run-ins with Indio police for misdemeanor offenses but Marshall said he was unsure what they were.

Gentile was expected to be booked for suspicion of murder today, Marshall said. He remained in jail today without bail, records showed.

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—City News Service



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